The ASTER project shines a light on rare earths

In an era when producing sustainably is paramount, critical resources are undergoing rapid supply-side changes. The ASTER project (Systemic Analysis of Rare Earth Elements) has looked into some of today's most pressing challenges, including dependence (rare earths are actually abundant, though highly spread out), societal challenges posed by their extraction and the upheaval of production relationships. The project, which benefited from French National Research Agency (ANR) funding, also addressed how to recycle and make the best and most responsible use of natural resources.

The ASTER project set out to map the flows and stocks of rare earths as well as the 14 chemically related precious metals and semi-metals used in certain green technologies, including motors and permanent magnets which respectively power electric vehicles and wind turbines. ASTER achieved a more thorough understanding of stocks and flows in Europe, identifying recycling opportunities and gauging the strategic value of individual rare earths in a market subjected to great strain over recent years.

China, Europe: a many-linked value chain

ASTER has provided researchers with crucial geopolitical insight. China, which puts out monopoly-level production (85-95%) of rare earth metals, has recently enacted export limitations. This imposed or artificial shortage comes on top of other factors influencing the strategic value of a given rare earth. Terbium, for example, despite its being spread out geographically, is experiencing decreasing demand and rising recycling potential, countering supply shortages. As for other rare earths whose supply needs are unable to be met through product recycling, solutions must be implemented such as "responsible" mines (mining operations seeking to actively minimise related environmental risks) or mine tailings recovery processing.

The project also provided a glimpse of the role that Europe could play in rare earth production based on European industrial groups’ know-how and the worldwide dimensions of the rare earth value chain from exploration to use. ASTER has shown that France and the European Union need to support and invest in the energy transition and related technologies to forecast and control fluctuations and secure jobs in its historical metallurgical sector over the long run. This holistic approach, combining the prospecting of Europe's subsurface and reusing end-of-life products, has the power to guarantee Europeans a more effective provisioning of resources whilst preserving the environment.

Wide-spanning industrial-academic cooperation

Such a project by its very nature bears upon industrial and public interest issues at national and European levels. ASTER, which ran from January 2012 to June 2015 under the ANR "Ecotech" programme (Sustainable production and environmental technologies), was allocated an ANR grant worth €558 k. The project was led by the chemical group Solvay, the firm BIO by Deloitte, the French geological survey (BRGM), Université Paul-Sabatier in Toulouse and the Polytechnic Institute of Lasalle Beauvais. These organisations boast expertise covering disciplines including sub-soil resource management, chemical manufacturing and sustainable development. Teams from the European EURARE project (European RARe Earth) coordinated by the British Geological Survey also worked together with the ASTER team.

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ASTER project summary

Last updated on 21 March 2019